Ulverstone keen to keep winning habit

DESPITE the result being meaningless, it will be business as usual for Ulverstone in tonight's top-of-the-table clash against Burnie, according to Hoppers import B.J. Jenkins.

Ulverstone cannot be dethroned as ladder leader before the start of the finals next week and is guaranteed to meet the Tigers again in a fortnight's time in a clash that will decide one of this year's grand finalists.

Burnie's Gabe Hadley works around Ulverstone's Lachlan Barker in a game earlier in the season. Picture: Stuart Wilson.

Given this, one may have thought tonight would be a perfect opportunity for coach Ben Keeley to rest players or for him to keep a few game plans up his sleeve for the playoffs.

But Jenkins, who considered resting himself because of a sore finger he dislocated recently, said doing either of those things would encourage bad habits.

"And that's why we'll be trying our hardest to win because we want to keep our momentum going into the finals."

Jenkins said cleaning up of the team's turnover issues was an area that was on the agenda tonight.

The Hoppers gave it back to Burnie 21 times when they lost to the Tigers in game 14.

"We tend to beat ourselves," Jenkins said.

"We've got to limit our mistakes and protect the ball more because we're not going to beat a side like Burnie - one of the best teams in the NWBU - in the finals if we continue doing things like that."

Ulverstone will most likely be without utility Klay Griffiths for its finals campaign after he suffered a serious knee injury playing football on the weekend.

In other matches tonight, Smithton hosts Devonport, Somerset travels to Penguin and Latrobe is at home to Wynyard. The Wildcats and the Blues are just one game adrift of fourth-placed Devonport, but the Warriors cannot be ousted because they hold both head-to- head splits.